Seattle May Day march remains peaceful through early part of evening

SEATTLE — Hundreds of people marched peacefully in Seattle in support of immigrant rights and a boost in the minimum wage Thursday, while police said they were prepared for more aggressive crowds later on.

The boisterous rally started in South Seattle and headed to Westlake Park downtown, with demonstrators waving red signs seeking an end to deportations and "poverty wages" and calling for a $15-an-hour minimum wage.

Earlier Thursday, Mayor Ed Murray announced a plan to phase in a $15 minimum wage in the city over the next seven years.

Seattle police were out in force on bicycles, foot and horseback, bracing for possible trouble later on as an anti-capitalist demonstration was also expected.

Daniel Stender, 26, was at the rally holding a sign pushing for quicker action on getting to a $15 minimum wage.

"It's getting ridiculous. It's getting to the point where you can't afford things," he said.

Stender said he hoped the rallies and marches would remain peaceful, noting that vandalism and violence would give "people who are detractors more ammunition."

Violence has plagued May Day in Seattle during the past two years, with protesters challenging police in the streets and sometimes stealing the thunder of much larger daytime events.

Last year, police arrested 18 people from a crowd that pelted them with rocks and bottles.

Seattle police say there has been more anti-authority rhetoric leading up to this year's May Day events.

Capt. Chris Fowler, in charge of the department's response to the demonstrations, asked that if people have a message to get out, they express it safely and peacefully. Police escorted the permitted march of immigration and labor activists and planned to escort any later unpermitted marches, allowing them to block traffic but preparing to step in to stop property damage.

Businesses downtown also prepared, posting security guards outside, taping paper over their windows to discourage graffiti, and using metal coat hangers to tie down iron grates along the sidewalks.

The police department's blog said vandals spray-painted a few businesses early Thursday in the Capitol Hill neighborhood — a car dealership, bank, restaurant and "the neighborhood headquarters of the oppressive regime at the United States Postal Service."

Officers also found "Kill SPD" painted on the bank, and a flier was circulated calling for killing officers.

"There are issues with our police department. But when people say we ought to kill police, that's unacceptable," Murray said.